


Song Among the Stars

by jackiesjunkie



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Gen, In which Nanny sings Music of the Night to Warlock, Inspired by Music, One Shot, Phantom of the Opera mention, crack!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28102425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackiesjunkie/pseuds/jackiesjunkie
Summary: Children ask all the questions. Nanny has all the answers.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	Song Among the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when I have a long drive to work & the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack is in my CD player. Also Merelyafigment is an enabler of the best sort. I mentioned having a mental image of Nanny singing Music of the Night to Warlock & she fed my plot bunnies crack.

There is an age that all children reach where they seem to be filled with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Everything is met with questions of why or how? Late one evening as Warlock was trying to avoid going to sleep, he was bombarding Nanny with every question he could imagine. Nanny never scolded him for asking so many questions. In fact, she encouraged him to ask more questions. Occasionally if she was busy, she would suggest he go visit with Brother Francis and ask him questions as well. 

“Nanny, why do the stars twinkle? Nanny, why is the sky black at night? Nanny, tell me again about the sky colors you saw?” 

Nanny reached down to tuck Warlock under his blankets. She sighed softly as she sat on the edge of his bed. “The stars twinkle because they are made up of gas and stardust. The light they send out gets distorted by things in the atmosphere. Rather like when you blink your eyes. The sky is black at night because the earth turns away from the sun so when it is behind us, the light isn't shining in our eyes. The moon needs a turn to shine as well. The sky colors are called Aurora Borealis. They are caused when the sun sends out a burst of energy that causes a storm like reaction in the atmosphere.”

Warlock pondered for a moment before asking, “It looks like dancing? Dancing light in the sky?”

Nanny nodded, “A bit, yes.”

“Is there music? You need music to dance. Don't you?”

A gentle smile graced Nanny's face. Behind her glasses, her eyes softened oh so slightly. “Though you cannot hear it, there is music. The stars make their own noise as does the aurora. They dance in celebration of their beauty.” Memories of mixing celestial colors and stardust were tamped back down into the back of her mind. 

“What kind of music? Will you sing it for me, Nanny?”

Leveling her gaze at the child, she nodded. “Only if you go to sleep.” Warlock wasn't old enough to know that Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart didn't write music for the stars but the song seemed to fit the mood. She began to sing softly. “Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination. Silently, the senses abandon their defenses.”

Warlock's eyes slowly started to drift closed. Before the end of the song, he had fallen asleep. 

Nanny's voice drifted toward silence as the song came to an end. “You alone can make my song take flight. Help me make the music of the night.”

*********

Brother Francis stepped out of his cottage into the cool of the evening. The first of the stars were just starting to peek out of the darkening sky. He began to stroll among the plants of the gardens, the flowers closing up their blossoms for the night. As he neared the main house, he noticed that young Warlock's window was open. He decided that he should probably double check that the child hadn't thrown any of his toys out the window again. It wouldn't do to have them ruined by the evening dew.

A quick look under the window turned up nothing amiss. Kneeling down, he reached out a weathered hand to brush over the petals of the just opening bloom of the Chocolate Daisy. A few days prior, Warlock had spent a good portion of the afternoon following along after him asking questions about the flowers. The child had asked why the flowers were never awake at night like some of the animals Brother Francis had been telling him about.

Brother Francis had explained that a few special plants did indeed bloom only at night. Warlock had seemed the most intrigued by the name of the Chocolate Daisy, so if there was a minor miracle involved in transplanting them from a warmer climate, Brother Francis wasn't going to tell. The child had seemed so excited when he was shown the plants growing just below his window.

Brother Francis listened quietly as Nanny Ashtoreth sang a less than disturbing lullaby to Warlock. No mention of death or destruction, she must be in a more pleasant mood than normal tonight. After the song ended, he glanced up at the sound of her voice at the window.

"Eavesdropping again are we?"

He touched the brim of his hat in greeting. "Good evening, Miss Ashtoreth. Just checking on the flowers that young Master Warlock is so fond of and I couldn't help but overhear."

"Hmmm, lies do not become you, sir."

He smiled up at her. "I could never lie to you, Miss. Too nice of a night to be inside. The stars are lovely tonight, things are clear enough to enjoy them properly. You know I have always had a fondness for the stars."

A hint of a smile played on Nanny's lips for a moment. "Indeed. Good night, Brother Francis."

He nodded toward her, "Good night, Miss. Pleasant dreams."

Nanny shook her head in amusement as she closed the window and fastened the latch. Some things never really change.


End file.
